Tunisia holds vigil for horrific beach massacre victims (PHOTOS)

A boy holds a candle and flowers as he attends a protest to condemn the attack by a gunman at the beachside of the Imperiale Marhabada hotel in Sousse, Tunisia, June 27, 2015 (Reuters / Zohra Bensemra) / Reuters

Hundreds of Tunisians have held a vigil for the victims of a brutal terrorist attack on the beach resort of Sousse, condemning the international extremism which claimed at least 39 lives on Friday, mostly tourists.

The locals lit candles
outside, held flags and chanted slogans near the hotel where the
gunman rampaged after the shooting spree on the beach.

The death toll from the
Friday beach massacre in Tunisia rose to 39 after a Belgian
tourist died on Saturday morning. Tunisia’s health ministry says
that it has identified the bodies of 17 people so far.

Another 39 people were wounded when the gunmen attacked Tunisian
Sousse, the health ministry said, adding that 21 patients have
already left medical facilities after receiving treatment. Two of
the wounded remain in a critical condition, while 18 are being
kept under observation, a spokesperson, Chokri Nafi told The
Associated Press.

According to the country’s Russian Embassy, the injured Russian
national was a woman who escaped the massacre with light injuries
to her shoulder. She is in a stable condition. However there have
also been unconfirmed reports that a Russian national might be
among the dead. In light of the attack, Russian parliamentarians
are urging the Foreign Ministry to initiate an emergency session
of the UN Security Council.

At the same time, Germany confirmed that one of its nationals has
been killed and another wounded in the attack, while the Belgian
Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of a woman. Ireland believes
that in total three Irish citizens are among the dead, with one
already having been identified.

The UK announced that at least 15 of its citizens were killed in
Friday’s gun assault warning that the number might rise. British
police have sent forensic experts to help identify victims and
aid with the investigation.

The shooter in Friday’s attack has been identified by Tunisia’s
Prime Minister Habib Essid as Seifeddine Rezgui. Rezgui was
gunned down by Tunisian police after the assailant pulled a gun
hidden inside a parasol and opened fire on tourists on the sand
and by a pool.

While Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) claimed
responsibility for the attack, the investigation has so far
revealed that Rezgui never traveled abroad. Tunisian Secretary of
State for Security Rafik Chelly said the gunman was a student
previously unknown to the authorities and was not on any watch
list of potential militants. One source in the investigation told
Reuters that Rezgui could have been radicalized over the last six
months by Islamist militant recruiters.

“He entered by the beach, dressed like someone who was going
to swim, and he had a beach umbrella with his gun in it,”
Chelly said according to AFP.

Meanwhile a video of the horrific beach massacre was released on
YouTube by a local radio station showing the police shootout and
people running away in a panic.

The shocking aftermath
of the bloodbath sent people rushing to the airports to
immediately return home, with Belgian airline Jetairfly
completely canceling their route to the African country. More
than 3,000 foreign tourists left the country on Saturday
including around 2,200 British and nearly 600 Belgians, according
to the Sousse tourism commissioner. Most of EU tour operators are
canceling their vacation packages to Tunisia next week, which
will severely damage the heavily tourist-dependent
economy.

To reassure residents and visitors of their safety, Prime
Minister Essid said new anti-terrorism measures would take effect
from July 1, which would see reserve troops deployed to reinforce
security at “sensitive sites ... and places that could be targets
of terrorist attacks.” The government is also closing down 80
mosques suspected of promulgating extremism.